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The Human Dimensions of Hazards Research Group draws on the skills and knowledge base of faculty, student researchers, community members, and external researchers.
Faculty
Tara McGee, PhD
Director
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Tara directs the Human Dimensions of Hazards Research Group at the University of Alberta, where she is also Professor of Human Geography in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. Her research focuses on individual, community, and organizational responses to environmental hazards, focusing on wildfires. While primarily focused on the human dimensions of wildfire research in Canada, particularly in First Nations communities, she has also collaborated with researchers in Australia, New Zealand, and Portugal. Tara's research has been published in numerous journals and books. Tara enjoys mentoring undergraduate and graduate student researchers. She obtained her PhD from The Australian National University.
U of A ProfileGoogle ScholarResearchGate
U of A ProfileGoogle ScholarResearchGate
Students
Sumaira Niazi, MS
First Nations Community WildfiresPreparedness in BC
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Sumaira Niazi is a doctoral student in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta. She is also working as a research assistant in the Human Dimensions of Hazard research group on a project, First Nations Community Wildfire Preparedness in BC, funded by BC Wildfire Services. She previously earned a master’s degree in Emergency Management and Disaster Sciences from the University of North Texas, United States. Her recent project, "The Influence of Neighborhood Demographics on Post-Buyout Land Use Development in Harris County, Texas," earned a student paper competition award from the American Association of Geographers. Her research interests include preparedness, mitigation, and recovery planning for environmental disasters.
Sandani Siriwardhana, BSc
Public Responses to Prescribed Fire and Smoke
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Sandani is a first-year Master of Arts in Human Geography student in the Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta. Through her master’s thesis, she is exploring public support for returning fire to the land in BC with Dr. McGee. In 2020, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Environment Science and, in 2023, a postgraduate diploma in Climate Change and Environmental Management from the University of Colombo.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Doug Yearwood, PhD
Beyond the Fire: Social Dimensions of First Nations Wildfire Evacuations to Host Communities
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Doug completed his PhD in 2023 at Queen's University. His doctoral research was interdisciplinary, incorporating political economic, sociological, and geographical perspectives, and focused on gentrification and how it is enabled by financial actors and policy changes at different levels of government. He has taught several courses centred on human rights, international relations, and public administration. Doug's research, conducted as part of the FNWEP, will explore host communities’ experiences, preparedness, and impacts of recent hosting, to better understand the challenges faced and lessons learned by host communities in these events.
Staff
Hana Lima, MA
FNWEP Community Engagement Coordinator
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Hana is working as a Community Engagement Coordinator at the First Nations Wildfire Evacuation Partnership (FNWEP) with Dr. Tara MacGee and Dr. Amy Cardinal Christianson. She holds a master’s degree in Community Engagement from the University of Alberta, completed in 2023. Hana was a 2022 University of Alberta Graduate Entrance Scholarship Award recipient. She brings a wealth of expertise in program planning, stakeholder engagement, research, and effective communication with diverse audiences. Within the FNWEP, Hana is supporting engagement and communications initiatives, implementing knowledge mobilization strategies, and managing the organization's social media.
Alumni
Mariah Calliou
Wildfire Evacuation Media Analysis
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Mariah, from Atikameg, is pursuing a BEd in Elementary Education at the University of Alberta. She has a pre-education diploma from Yellowhead Tribal College and experience as an Educational Assistant for the grade 1 class at Atikameg School. She also led science camps for the grade 1/2 camps in 2023 as part of the Faculty of Science’s summer programming. As an I-STEAM Intern for the FNWEP in 2025, Calliou worked alongside Dr. Tara McGee and Dr. Douglas Yearwood, analyzing media coverage of the 2025 wildfire season, comparing the narratives presented in mainstream media with those found in academic literature, highlighting both gaps and alignments in public discourse.
Shubham Chaudhary, MSc
Human Dimensions of Environmental Disasters
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Shubham was a visiting research scholar at the University of Alberta from September 2023 to February 2025. Position funded by SERB, India. He is a doctoral researcher working on Human Dimensions of Environmental Disasters in the Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, at the University of Alberta. He earned his Master's in Geology from India and is currently registered for a Ph.D. in AcSIR, CSIR CBRI India. His research focuses on Disaster Resilience and Human Dimensions related to landslide disasters.
Nathan Polard-Yopek, MA
Today is a Different Day: Exploring First Nations Emergency Preparedness in the Province of Alberta, Canada
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Nathan, a proud member of the Fond Du Lac Denesuline First Nation, earned his Bachelor's in Political Science and Earth and Atmospheric Science, with distinction, from the University of Alberta in 2019. He completed his Master of Arts in Human Geography at the University of Alberta in 2024. His master’s thesis was conducted as part of the FNWEP, where he explored the factors influencing preparedness among First Nations communities, based on insights from emergency managers in Alberta. Nathan is currently working as a Senior Policy Analyst at the Assembly of First Nations (AFN).
Maia Foster-Sanchez, MA
Hosting with Humility: Timmins’ 2019 Host Community Experiences
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Maia completed her MA in Disaster and Emergency Management in 2021 at Royal Roads University. Her thesis, conducted as part of the FNWEP, focused on exploring the 2019 Timmins wildfire host community experience. Using qualitative semi-structured interviews, Maia’s thesis examined the impacts of hosting evacuees on the city and what improvements could be undertaken to reduce negative impacts on the host community and negative experiences for evacuees. Maia is currently working as an emergency manager at the Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management in Ontario.
Amy Cardinal Christianson, PhD
Wildfire Risk Perception and Mitigation at Peavine Métis Settlement
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Amy completed her PhD in Hazard Management at the University of Alberta in 2011. She also holds a Master of Science in Hazard Management from the University of Canterbury (2006) and a bachelor's degree in Geology with First Class Honours from the University of Alberta (2003). She co-founded the FNWEP alongside Dr. Tara McGee in 2013 to understand the impacts of recent wildfires on First Nations communities and recommend ways to improve evacuation processes. She is a Policy Advisor with the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, and co-hosts the Good Fire podcast, which looks at Indigenous fire use around the world and advocates for the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge in wildfire management. Her research explores Indigenous fire stewardship, Indigenous wildland firefighters, wildfire evacuations, and Indigenous research methodology.
Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Courtney Askin, MA
Engagement of Indigenous Peoples in Wildland Fire Management
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Courtney completed a Master of Arts in Human Geography at the University of Alberta, graduating in 2021. Her thesis focused on how and why Indigenous Peoples are engaged in wildland fire management in Canada and New Zealand. Courtney worked for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry's Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services Branch for more than a decade.
Vaughn Beaulieu-Mercredi
Wildfire Smoke Impacts
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Vaughn, from the Dene Tha' First Nation, concluded his BA in Political Science and Native Studies at the University of Alberta in 2022. He played the oboe in the University Concert Band and served as the President of the U of A's Indigenous Students' Union since May of 2020. Vaughn worked with Dr. McGee as an I-STEAM Summer Intern in 2020, supporting research conducted as part of the FNWEP on wildfire smoke impacts.
Nicolas Basque, MA
Adapting Together: Exploring the Relationships Between Social Capital and Planner Relocation as a Disaster Risk Reduction Measure
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Nic holds a graduate certificate in Emergency Management from the Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology (2017) and completed his Master of Arts in Disaster and Emergency Management at Royal Roads University in 2021. Through his thesis, Nic explored the impacts of relocation on social capital with a First Nations community. Nic was a 2020 Mitacs Research Training Award recipient. He currently works with Public Safety Canada as a Senior Policy Advisor, and has been in the field of emergency management since 2013, with extensive experience in federal, provincial, and municipal Emergency Operations Centres, emergency management planning, and strategic emergency management policy development.
ResearchGate
ResearchGate
Arshad Khalafzai, PhD
Frequent Spring Flooding Impacts, Evacuation Experiences, and Perceived Adaptive Capacity of Kashechewan First Nation, Northern Ontario
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Arshad completed his PhD in Human Geography at the University of Alberta in 2020. His doctoral research explored the elevated spring flooding risk in Kashechewan First Nation, Northern Ontario, examining their experiences of frequent flooding risk and recurring evacuations, and assessing their perceived adaptive capacity. Arshad holds three master’s degrees: in Disaster Management (York University, Toronto), Development Studies (Iqra University, Pakistan), and Management Sciences (Gomal University, Pakistan). He also holds postgraduate diplomas in International and Security Studies, and Refugee and Migration Studies (both from York University), as well as in Applied Information Technology (Hamdard University, Pakistan) and Development Banking (National Institute of Banking and Finance, Pakistan). With extensive international experience, Arshad held various roles with organizations such as UNICEF, UNESCO, the International Rescue Committee, Oxfam, York University, the University of Alberta, and the National Commission for Human Development in Pakistan.
Kyla Mottershead, MA
The 2012 Wildfire Evacuation Experiences of Dene Tha' First Nation
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Kyla has a Bachelor of Arts in Community Development from the University of Calgary (2010) and a Master of Arts focused on Geography (Human Dimensions of Hazards) from the University of Alberta, completed in 2017. Her Master’s thesis, conducted as part of the FNWEP, focused on the 2012 evacuation experiences of Dene Tha' First Nation in northern Alberta. After finishing her degree, Kyla worked at Alberta Health Services as an Evaluation Analyst and Health Promotion Facilitator for the Provincial Mental Health Promotion and Illness Prevention Unit. Kyla now lives in Australia, where she works as a Senior Project Officer for the Mental Health Commission of Western Australia.
Brieanna Wallace, BSc
First Nations Wildfire Evacuation Partnership (FNWEP)
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Brieanna completed her bachelor's degree in Biology in 2021 at the University of Alberta. After finishing her degree, she worked in the field of sustainable forestry, developing project plans and educational resources. Brieanna worked with Dr. McGee as a research assistant for an FNWEP research project that explored how Indigenous peoples perceive and adapt to wildfire smoke in Northern Ontario using a quantitative exploratory survey-based approach.
Henok Asfaw, PhD
Wildfire Evacuation and Emergency Management in Remote First Nations: The Case of Sandy Lake First Nation, Northern Ontario
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Henok has a bachelor's degree in Geography, a master's degree in Development Studies, specializing in Environment and Development from Addis Ababa University, and completed his PhD in 2018 at the University of Alberta. His doctoral research, conducted as part of the FNWEP, focused on exploring how Sandy Lake First Nation and community members were prepared for, responded to, and recovered from wildfire hazard-induced evacuation. He is an interdisciplinary social scientist whose research focuses on the human dimensions of hazards and environmental changes. Henok currently works as a Senior Research Analyst at the Government of Alberta.
Elise Gatti, PhD
Barriers to FireSmart Development Project
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Elise is a multidisciplinary researcher. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alberta responsible for the the Barriers to FireSmart Development Project from 2019 to 2021.
Rylee Thomson, BA
First Nations Wildfire Evacuation Partnership (FNWEP)
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Rylee finished her Bachelor of Arts in History and Human Geography in 2025 at the University of Alberta. She worked as a Research Assistant from September 2023 to January 2024, supporting research conducted as part of the FNWEP.
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